Destination : US

The Srinivasan residence is one that is normally alive throughout the day, owing to self-Staggered sleep schedules; but the night before the first of july, 2005 was unusually silent, surprising not only the requently sleep abused residents of my building, but the neighbourhood dog too! The incessant barking, in tune with Bryan adams was replaced with scratching and whining, almost as if it were confused about the noise being absent and desperately needing its night-time entertainment :)

Such sweeping changes in any place is indicative of either a major event occuring or (cough, cough) the residents moving out. The former is what was ordained to happen the next day and the latter, eventually. The first of july, was a very important day in my life for a variety of reasons:

(1) It was on this day that I, Razer B - scraggy mangy tambram, broke my vows of being as obnoxious as I could be, and actually combed my hair in a way the lesser mortals do. Not used to such abuse, the keratin strands atop my scalp rebelled vigorously... But doused with tons of sticky hair-gel,they almost reluctantly stayed in place...

(2) I've never been the gentleman, 'thank'ing and 'pleas(e)'ing un-necessarily unless otherwise my daily dose of nourishment is at risk ;) but on 07/01/2005, as if on a roll, I went about greeting everyone - inside and outside the American consulate! Everyone from Onyx cleaners to the clerical attendants received generous quantities of my "Good Morning, with an almost idiotic grin spread across the landscape that was my face. I was courteous long afterwards too, much to the chargin of my mother who was driven up the wall with my "Americanised" behavioral shift so much so that; belive it or not - She threw me outta the house and told me to return when I'd rid myself of what she called - the "Visa Shock"!!!

Well, again, much to my mother's consternation, it didn't go away!!! I guess it happens to the most of us. I 'recovered' a bit after a few days, when the Srinivasan homestead was gripped with another issue - The B.E admission fiasco. Preethi, the usually confident, studious and so far illustrious student was thrown suddenly into spasms of doubt concerning her future; despite scoring a radical 91% in one of the toughest examinations in the country! Such was the condition that she had to consider options that she wouldn't have even touched with a foot long pole!

To B.E Continued...